New cold frame will extend growing season at urban farm

Lucas Tingle, garden educator at the Local Community Food Centre, cuts the ribbon for the new cold frame at Oak Street Farm with his daughter April and executive director Margaret Smart on Sept. 22.

Margaret Smart, executive director of the Local Community Food Centre, welcomed attendees and thanked sponsors at a recent “table-to-farm” event on Sept. 22.

The event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new cold frame installation at the Local Community Food Centre’s Oak Street Farm, located behind the Dufferin Lions Arena.

The project was made possible through funding from the Medavie Foundation and community support. The cold frame will extend the farm’s growing season, promoting local food sovereignty and community engagement.

“All of this is only made possible by the support of our community – by businesses that support us, by individuals that support us, and by the people who partner with our urban farmers and our volunteers,” Smart said. “This is truly a reflection of incredible levels of support from our community. We’re so thankful for that, and it’s incredible to see people come together in this way.”

The event began at the Local Community Food Centre, where dinner was served. Fresh buns were provided by Cobb’s Bakery, devilled eggs by the Egg Farmers of Ontario and burgers were served. The City of Stratford provided bus transportation to transport guests from the Local to the farm for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Lucas Tingle, garden educator at the Local, spoke about the significance of the initiative.

“The farm is geared toward teaching people about regenerative agriculture, about organic agriculture and about local agriculture,” he said. “It’s nice to know we have options that are accessible, reasonably priced and grown locally.”

Tingle explained that a cold frame is a structure that protects plants from cold, wind and rain, allowing farmers to start planting earlier in the spring and continue later into the fall. It captures solar energy during the day and radiates heat at night, keeping plants warmer than the outside temperature.

“We’re going to be able to pull crops out of these spaces through February and March and start things up nice and early in the season, like tomatoes,” he said. “A cold frame uses the power of solar energy – not solar panels, but literally just the sun being captured inside of this space to keep everything warm.”

Extending the growing season can help reduce reliance on international agricultural systems, keep costs down and improve access to healthy food, Tingle added.

“What we’re trying to do here at Oak Street Farm is create more sovereignty around food in Canada,” he said. “That means extending our growing seasons so we can produce food outside our traditional seasons. We’re modelling sustainable agriculture. At Oak Street, we’re organic, we’re regenerative and we’re local.”

He said the farm aims not only to provide healthy food options but also to teach others how sustainable practices can be applied in other regions.

“That’s what the urban farming program is all about,” Tingle said. “It’s putting people back in touch with the food system – to understand where food comes from, what healthy food looks like and tastes like, and how it’s done.”

Smart and Tingle encouraged community members to stop by Oak Street Farm, take a walk and, if interested, join the Urban Farmers group on Tuesday evenings to learn more about regenerative farming.